Data Collections
To better understand the marine litter problem on the Scottish Islands, the Marine Litter Working Group SIF-MLWG has partnered with the Marine Conservation Society MCS to create a citizen science based in the internationally recognised MCS/OSPAR marine litter survey protocol. Details of the methodology can be found here.
Data collection is focussed on four key periods representing winter, spring, summer and autumn:
1st quarter: February (Winter)
2nd quarter: April (Spring)
3rd quarter: September, including the Great British Beach Clean (summer)
4th quarter: November (autumn)
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Last year, due to the outstanding efforts of individuals and groups, a total of 156 marine litter surveys were submitted to the MCS Beachwatch programme from across the Scottish Islands in 2023, a phenomenal 148% increase as compared to 2022.
A full report of last year's results can be found here.
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Locations of the 2023 Scottish Beachwatch survey stretches (red – island surveys; blue – mainland surveys).
The results show that the average abundance of marine litter items on the Scottish Islands was approximately double that recorded on the Scottish Mainland beaches, and that much of this litter (59%) came from marine industry sources such as fishing, aquaculture and shipping. In contrast, only 15% of litter recorded on mainland beaches came from these sources, and here much (42%) of the litter came from public sources. These differences highlight the need for specific action to tackle marine litter on island beaches.
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Median number of litter items recorded per 100m stretch of coastline.
Average Scottish Island litter abundance per 100m stretch for each island group and for the Scottish mainland, calculated using a median of medians approach. Credit: Marine Conservation Society.
This wealth of data would not have been possible without the support and commitment of numerous local community groups who have worked tirelessly to undertake marine litter surveys on a voluntary basis. SIF remains grateful to both groups and individuals for their continued support in tackling marine litter. If you are interested in helping us to gather valuable data please contact us at marinelitter@scottish-islands-federation.co.uk.
